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Telling My SAGA…

A couple of years ago, Studio Tomahawk brought out a dark ages skirmish game called SAGA. I didn’t pay much attention at first as I had already gotten Brink of Battle for small-scale skirmishes Warlord Games Hail Caesar for the really big epic battle. They are both excellent games in and of themselves and occupy a place on my bookshelves along with other favorite rules sets. However, I wanted to try something in between.
I began reading about SAGA in various forums. I went to Gripping Beast’s website and watched some demo videos on YouTube. SAGA looked interesting so I went ahead and ordered the Core Rulebook and other accessories from Architects of War here in America. I already several boxes of plastic figures from Wargames Factory and Conquest Miniatures that I was in the process of putting together. Once I got the rules I was able to organize them along with the excellent Gripping Beast plastic figures into an Anglo-Saxon Warband.
As you can see from the above picture, it is definitely a work in progress.Buying Your Troops
Purchasing your troops is a relatively simple matter. You can have either 4 pts (Starter army) or 6 pts (Standard Army) to start with. Each point gets you the following.
4 x Hearthguards (Elite Troops)
8 x Warriors (Regular Troops)
12 x Levies (Conscripts)
The Fearless Leader or Warlord is free.
There are no restraints on how you may spend your points. If you wish, you can have your entire warband made up of Hearthguards. For a 6pt army this would come to 24 figures plus the Warlord. You could also go the exact opposite and field an army of 72 Levies plus the Warlord. I really would advise against this as an all Levy Warband is not very good at maneuvering or fighting or staying around the battle field for that matter.Organizing Your Warband
Once you’ve mustered your troops, it’s time to get them organized into units. Units can be from 4-12 figures with some restrictions. First, they must be of the same type i.e. foot or mounted. Secondly, the unit has to be composed of the same training type i.e. Hearthguard, Warriors or Levies. Finally, the unit should be armed with the same weapons such as spears. Although if truth be known the last rule isn’t very heavily enforced. After they’ve been organized into units, they are now ready to be deployed on the battlefield.
But that is a tale for another time.